1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to systems for handling and screening parcels to detect contamination thereof, and applications thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
Numerous parcel handling systems have been developed and are in use. The United States Postal Service (USPS) utilizes such systems to handle the enormous quantity of parcels that are delivered each day by the USPS. A notable feature, and an inherent disadvantage, of the USPS system is that the sender of a parcel can remain anonymous.
Following the terrorist attacks of Sep. 11, 2001, the U.S. mail was utilized to propagate bioterrorist attacks upon high level governmental representatives and important members of the media. A number of similar hoax attacks have followed and continue to this day. The ability of users of the USPS to remain anonymous has thwarted law enforcement efforts to apprehend the bioterrorist(s).
The need for an apparatus and method for sanitizing parcels that may contain particles of biological contaminant, i.e. anthrax, non-biological contaminant, or other particulate matter or powders, that have the ability to become airborne, has become apparent. The overwhelming volume of parcels handled by the USPS and other entities, however, has made it impossible to sanitize every parcel delivered. Nonetheless, following the bioterrorist attacks, the USPS began a campaign of irradiating parcels sent to persons and organization that are likely terrorist targets.
Irradiation, however, is recognized as being an inadequate long-term defense. Aside from entailing an unduly long time to irradiate parcels, the double digit kilogray doses that are needed to kill anthrax spores makes paper contained within the parcels brittle and smelly, and is fatal to film, magnetic media, electronic devices and prescription drugs that are in the parcels that pass through the irradiating machines. The irradiation has also led to reports of sickness of the workers at mail processing facilities.
A further shortcoming is that irradiation simply kills the contaminant, and does nothing to identify contaminated parcels, such as envelopes and boxes. Identification of contaminated parcels is an essential threshold requirement for law enforcement to identify and apprehend the terrorists.
Other techniques that can be used to sanitize suspect parcels include the use of penetrative gamma rays or chemical sterilization, such as by use of chlorine dioxide gas. Each has its drawbacks. Use of penetrative gamma rays raises concerns of housing radioactive gamma sources such as cobalt-60, and chlorine dioxide gas requires lengthy exposure time for adequate penetration of the parcels.
The techniques and apparatus known in the art either require individual treatment of the parcels or require prolonged exposure to the sterilization method.
While known techniques can sanitize parcels, the known techniques fail to screen suspect parcels and cause an unacceptable processing delay of such parcels. Further, the known techniques fail to identify suspect parcels, as necessary to advance the efforts of authorities to apprehend the terrorists and hoax perpetrators.